This being my first trip to India, I don't even want to start on the cultural differences that I've observed since touching down in Bangalore on May 6th. Seven weeks later I am still taken by surprise by random things, whether it's frequently having the door opened for me or how much the auto driver is trying to rip me off. One thing that stands out most recently in my mind is how the U.S. is viewed by Indians. At the Indo-Global Healthcare Summit in Hyderabad, for example, I've attended a number of presentations on health IT and various other aspects of healthcare. While they're all mostly Indian, they make varying references to the U.S. Some speakers talk about how the U.S. has this kind of technology and has implemented that kind of process in hospitals, sometimes matter-of-factly and other times with disapproval. Then there were speakers that have done work in the U.S. and speak of it with humor, like the professor who made a reference to how "Americans are crazy - they have a sport called football and play it with their hands, and they drive on the wrong side of the road." (I might have been the only one that laughed). Then there was the play that we watched in Chennai called "The President is Coming". It was about President Bush's visit to India in 2005 and how there is a competition to select one "young face of India" to shake his hand and spend five minutes with him. The characters were all very distinct in their opinions about Bush and the U.S., some seeing the U.S. as a way out while others viewed it as a new market for cosmetics.

This all said, the Indian opinion of the U.S. is varied and inconsistent across generations and industries. I wish it was as simple as asking, "So what do you think of the U.S?", but I can't guarantee that the response wouldn't be skewed half the time...For now I will settle for observations and keeping an eye out for the subtle details. Thanks, SI, for ingraining that in me.